RIYADH — The Fashion Commission, one of the new authorities under the Saudi Ministry of Culture, has announced the launch of the Saudi 100 Brands program, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. The program offers a one-year brand development initiative with training and mentoring, individual and group consultancy and advisory sessions, and virtual and in-person training workshops to boost competitive business advantage for Saudi brands in the global fashion industry. The Saudi 100 Brands program covers a wide range of topics including branding, conceptualization, sales performance strategy, public relations and marketing, client identification, innovation and technology and key leadership skills. Targeting Saudi fashion designers and brands seeking to take their businesses to the next level, participants in the program will learn from an international team of experts with experience from leading fashion houses including LVMH, Kering, Valentino Fashion Group, Chanel, Bulgari and Swarovski; as well as educational experience from Central St Martins, Royal College of Art, Yale and Parsons. The program will also offer consumer-directed activities aimed at encouraging sales in the local market, the first of which will be held in Riyadh in December 2021, with e-sales outlets and a wholesale campaign to stimulate international sales both set to launch in early 2022. To achieve these aims, the Fashion Commission is partnering with Vogue Arabia and regional retailers. Vogue Arabia will not only provide media amplification but also insights to help fashion brands approach editorial and use social media to best effect. Regional retailers will also participate in virtual conferences, provide professional training and will also offer dedicated in-store space for exclusive Ramadan pop-up initiatives in March 2022 including sales operations. Through the acquisition of some of the Saudi 100 Brands products, retailers will play a key role in supporting wholesale resort campaign sales across major fashion cities. Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Fashion Commission, said: “Saudi Arabia is on a growth path across all sectors, including fashion, and there are great opportunities for local entrepreneurs to build new businesses across all parts of the fashion value chain. A robust fashion sector benefits from local creatives, design studios, marketing and communication agencies, manufacturers and retailers. And through programs like Saudi 100 Brands, we look forward to seeing Saudi designers take their rightful place on the global stage.” Manuel Arnaut, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Arabia, said: “Vogue Arabia has a long history of nurturing emerging regional brands and partnering with the Saudi 100 Brands program is a natural continuation of our support. We are excited to work closely with the Saudi Fashion Commission, sharing insights that will contribute to the development of the brands taking part in this journey, and using our platforms to support their growth not only locally but also on a global scale.” The Saudi 100 Brands program will support the business development of 100 Saudi designers and luxury brands in the fashion world, helping to deliver Saudi products with international competitive business advantage — in line with the Fashion Commission’s efforts to develop the fashion sector in the Kingdom — as well as promote and empower practitioners, creatives and investors in the field. Saudi brands wishing to participate in the program are being invited by the Commission to register through the e-platform: www.saudi100brands.com between June 3-20, 2021.